Objectives. To evaluate the effect of preeclampsia on the cord blood and maternal NRBC count and to correlate NRBC count and neonatal outcome in preeclampsia and control groups. Study Design. This is a prospective case control observational study. Patients and Methods. Maternal and cord blood NRBC counts were studied in 50 preeclamptic women and 50 healthy pregnant women. Using automated cell counter total leucocyte count was obtained and peripheral smear was prepared to obtain NRBC count. Corrected WBC count and NRBC count/100 leucocytes in maternal venous blood and in cord blood were compared between the 2 groups. Results. No significant differences were found in corrected WBC count in maternal and cord blood in cases and controls. Significant differences were found in mean cord blood NRBC count in preeclampsia and control groups ( and , ). The mean maternal NRBC count in two groups was and , respectively ( ). Cord blood NRBC count cut off value ≤13 could rule out adverse neonatal outcome with a sensitivity of 63% and specificity of 89%. Conclusion. Cord blood NRBC are significantly raised in preeclampsia. Neonates with elevated cord blood NRBC counts are more likely to have IUGR, low birth weight, neonatal ICU admission, respiratory distress syndrome, and assisted ventilation. Below the count of 13/100 leucocytes, adverse neonatal outcome is quite less likely. 1. Introduction Of late, preeclampsia, a leading cause for pregnancy related morbidity and mortality, has been classified as early onset (which develops before 34 weeks of gestation) and late onset (which develops after 34 weeks). Early onset preeclampsia is considered as a fetal disorder that is typically associated with reduction in placental volume, intrauterine growth restriction, abnormal uterine and umbilical artery Doppler, low birth weight, multiorgan dysfunction, perinatal death, and adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Late onset preeclampsia is considered a maternal condition; a result of an underlying maternal constitutional disorder, and is more often associated with normal placenta, larger placental volume, along with a normal fetal growth [1]. Preeclampsia when associated with placental hypoperfusion results in hypoxic response in developing fetus in the form of increased erythropoiesis and release of immature erythrocytes [2]. Several studies have shown an increased number of nucleated red blood cell (NRBC) counts in the cord blood of newborns of preeclamptic mothers [3, 4]. Nucleated red blood cells were first noted in 1871 to be present in the peripheral blood of neonates
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